Reduced to a Tweet. The Lost Art of the Social Call, a Guest Post from Diana J Oaks

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

This post originally appeared on the Austen Authors’ blog on August 23, 2021. Enjoy!

Social connection. It’s the pulse of civilization, the foundation of community, and a deeply held human need.  You might have guessed that I’m not necessarily talking about networking with influential people here. I’m talking about friendship, camaraderie, recognition, love, and belonging.  Jane Austen was particularly adept at infusing the relationships in her novels with an undercurrent vibrant with the nuances of social connection. Even the letters, though not face-to-face interaction, are deeply personal, written by the hand of the communicator. The texts, tweets and Facebook posts that are primary forms of interaction today are far removed from their ancient predecessor, the social call.

My thoughts have turned frequently over the past year and a half of social distancing to the once-common tradition of calling on one’s neighbors, friends, and acquaintances in their homes. Social calls were the glue that held Georgian, Regency, and Victorian societies together–at least for the gentry and upper classes. It’s how they tapped into the grapevine, networked, ministered to the poor and sick, navigated new, and nurtured existing relationships.

Consider that In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet was highly attuned to social opportunities that might benefit her daughter’s marriage prospects, and so too, was Mr. Bennet. In that society, an introduction was required for ladies to form an acquaintance, but gentlemen could call on other gentlemen without the benefit of an introduction. In this scene, Mrs. Bennet is lamenting that Mrs. Long has been able to visit Netherfield, but she has not.

Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it.

… (fill in here with Mr. Bennet teasing his wife and daughters.)

“While Mary is adjusting her ideas,” he continued, “let us return to Mr. Bingley.”

“I am sick of Mr. Bingley,” cried his wife.

“I am sorry to hear that; but why did not you tell me so before? If I had known as much this morning I certainly would not have called on him. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now.”

Mrs. Bennet exults when she learns that Mr. Bennet has called on Mr. Bingley.

In Northanger Abbey, we experience with Catherine the pattern of making a social call: Presenting a card at the door to a servant and waiting to learn whether you will be admitted. After being tricked into a social blunder the previous day, she fears she has offended Miss Tilney. Anxious to make it right, she is eager to call.

“Mrs. Allen,” said Catherine the next morning, “will there be any harm in my calling on Miss Tilney today? I shall not be easy till I have explained everything.”

“Go, by all means, my dear; only put on a white gown; Miss Tilney always wears white.”

Catherine cheerfully complied, and being properly equipped, was more impatient than ever to be at the pump–room, that she might inform herself of General Tilneys lodgings, for though she believed they were in Milsom Street, she was not certain of the house, and Mrs. Allen’s wavering convictions only made it more doubtful. To Milsom Street she was directed, and having made herself perfect in the number, hastened away with eager steps and a beating heart to pay her visit, explain her conduct, and be forgiven; tripping lightly through the church–yard, and resolutely turning away her eyes, that she might not be obliged to see her beloved Isabella and her dear family, who, she had reason to believe, were in a shop hard by. She reached the house without any impediment, looked at the number, knocked at the door, and inquired for Miss Tilney. The man believed Miss Tilney to be at home, but was not quite certain. Would she be pleased to send up her name? She gave her card. In a few minutes the servant returned, and with a look which did not quite confirm his words, said he had been mistaken, for that Miss Tilney was walked out. Catherine, with a blush of mortification, left the house. She felt almost persuaded that Miss Tilney was at home, and too much offended to admit her; and as she retired down the street, could not withhold one glance at the drawing–room windows, in expectation of seeing her there, but no one appeared at them. At the bottom of the street, however, she looked back again, and then, not at a window, but issuing from the door, she saw Miss Tilney herself. She was followed by a gentleman, whom Catherine believed to be her father, and they turned up towards Edgar’s Buildings. Catherine, in deep mortification, proceeded on her way. She could almost be angry herself at such angry incivility; but she checked the resentful sensation; she remembered her own ignorance. She knew not how such an offence as hers might be classed by the laws of worldly politeness, to what a degree of unforgivingness it might with propriety lead, nor to what rigours of rudeness in return it might justly make her amenable.

This passage makes it evident that much was riding on the crucial question of admittance by the person being visited.  If you’d like to learn more about all the nuances of social signals in the formal call, this article on calling card etiquette is excellent.

The Allens call on the Morelands to invite Catherine to go to Bath with them.

If you think through Austen’s novels, you’ll certainly come up with many references to calls made, since they are full of them. Darcy and Fitzwilliam calling at Hunsford, Lady Catherine doing the same, but for different reasons. Anne Elliot calling at Uppercross, and on her friend, Mrs. Smith in Bath. Emma calling on Harriet, Miss Weston, Miss Bates, and Jane Fairfax, etc. Emma coaching Harriet on the etiquette of paying a call to the Martins. Some of these visits feature what Austen called “cold civility,” while others show warmth and affection. In any case, I think a social call beats a tweet any day, although nowadays if you plan to pay a call, be sure to place a call to make sure it’s a good time. None of my friends have a butler to perform that service.

Anne Elliott calls on her friend Mrs. Smith, an act her father resents because she is expected to call on her titled relations instead.
Harriet pays a call to the Martins.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Have you paid a social call in the past five years or so? Have you ever left a personalized “calling card” that isn’t a business card? Do you appreciate people stopping by to visit? What do you consider proper etiquette for a social call in 2021?

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Edward Jenner, Father of “Vaccination”

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Regina Jeffers
CC BY 4.0
File:Edward Jenner. Oil painting. Wellcome V0023503.jpg ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner#/media/File:Edward_Jenner._Oil_painting._Wellcome_V0023503.jpg

With all the debate still going on about whether to vaccinate or not for COVID-19 and all the variants in the news, I thought we might have look at the first vaccines.

Born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, in May 1749, the eighth of nine children, Edward Jenner held a natural curiosity about science. In fact, he apprenticed with a country surgeon and apothecary, Daniel Ludlow, near Bristol as early as age 13. Reportedly, he learned something of smallpox there. Familiar with country lore in either heard the tales of milk maids and cowpox or he observed the effect. Either way, Jenner, like many others in the area, held the belief that milk maids who caught cowpox never contracted smallpox.

Working with George Harwicke, Jenner learned much of surgery and sound medical practice. When he finished his apprenticeship at age one and twenty, he travelled to London where he again became a “student” for another two years — this time of one John Hunter, who was on the St. George Hospital’s staff. This move was providential for Jenner, for, at the time, Hunter was one of the most famous surgeons in England. Moreover, Hunter had a mind for biology and anatomy, like no other of the time.

Beyond learning from Hunter, “… Jenner made important contacts such as Joseph Banks, later president of the Royal Society, and Everard Home and Henry Cline, both later presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons. Hunter, a stern taskmaster, evidently thought well of Jenner and recommended that he should help to arrange and catalogue the specimens brought back by Banks from Captain Cook’s first Pacific voyage. It was planned that Jenner should accompany Banks on the second voyage, but in the event neither went.” [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

“Jenner occupied himself with many matters. He studied geology and carried out experiments on human blood. In 1784, after public demonstrations of hot air and hydrogen balloons by Joseph M. Montgolfier in France during the preceding year, Jenner built and twice launched his own hydrogen balloon. It flew 12 miles. Following Hunter’s suggestions, Jenner conducted a particular study of the cuckoo. The final version of Jenner’s paper was published in 1788 and included the original observation that it is the cuckoo hatchling that evicts the eggs and chicks of the foster parents from the nest. For this remarkable work, Jenner was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. However, many naturalists in England dismissed his work as pure nonsense. For more than a century, antivaccinationists used the supposed defects of the cuckoo study to cast doubt on Jenner’s other work. Jenner was finally vindicated in 1921 when photography confirmed his observation. At any rate, it is apparent that Jenner had a lifelong interest in natural sciences. His last work, published posthumously, was on the migration of birds.” [NCBI]

It was 1796 before Jenner made his first forays into eradicating smallpox, which had a long history of killing off large populations. In May of that same year, Jenner conducted his first experiments with cowpox and smallpox. A milk maid by the name of Sarah Nelms had fresh cowpox lesions on her hands. Jenner proposed to “spread” the cowpox to protect people from smallpox. His first patient to receive the inoculation was an eight-year-old boy by the name of James Phipps. He first presented the boy with the cowpox. The child had a mild fever, aches, and some stomach discomfort. When he started feeling better, Jenner inoculated the boy a second time. He used matter from a fresh smallpox lesion. No infection occurred.

As a side note, during the Revolutionary War, the British troops were less likely to get smallpox. That was because smallpox was endemic in England, meaning that a high percentage of British troops had already contracted the disease as children and now carried lifelong immunity. In contrast only about 20-30 % of the Americans had been exposed to the disease. “But immunization in the 1770s was not what it’s like today with a single injection and a low risk of mild symptoms. Edward Jenner didn’t even develop his revolutionary cowpox-based vaccine for smallpox until 1796. The best inoculation technique at Washington’s disposal during the Revolutionary War was a nasty and sometimes fatal method called ‘variolation.’

““An inoculation doctor would cut an incision in the flesh of the person being inoculated and implant a thread laced with live pustular matter into the wound…. ‘The hope and intent was for the person to come down with smallpox. When smallpox was conveyed in that fashion, it was usually a milder case than it was when it was contracted in the natural way.'” [History.com]

Jenner’s first foray into experiments was rejected by the Royal Society, but, after he added additional observations and experiments, he privately published a small booklet entitled “An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Varilae Vaccinae, a disease discovered in some of the western counties of England, particularly Gloucestershire and Known by the Now of Cow Pox.” He presented his technique the name of “vaccination,” one which has obviously stuck.

For Jenner, few in London were willing to be his next “guinea pigs.” It was the work of the surgeon Henry Cline and Doctors George Pearson and William Woodville that finally confirmed Jenner’s speculations.

Other Sources:

About Edward Jenner

Edward Jenner and the History of Smallpox and Vaccination

How Crude Smallpox Inoculations Helped George Washing Win the War

Jenner, Edward

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The Genius of Jane Austen’s Dialogue, a Lovely Guest Post from Diana J Oaks

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

This post originally appeared on the Austen Authors’ blog on 31 May 2020. Enjoy!

Let’s talk about talking. Not just any kind of talking but talking in Jane Austen’s novels to be precise. There are numerous ways authors use dialogue. The most obvious way is to drive the plot forward. Darcy’s overheard insult to Elizabeth at the Assembly Ball in Pride and Prejudice is an easy example of this. Dialogue can also be used to establish the tone of a particular scene; revealing the mood of the speakers, and their current mindset. In the same novel, the restlessness and despondency of Kitty and Lydia after the militia has left Meryton is reflected in their words.

“Good Heaven! What is to become of us? What are we to do?”

We also recognize in these exclamations the immaturity and shallow nature of the characters. When their sentiments are echoed by Mrs. Bennet we recognize that their behavior is learned from and reinforced by their mother. Austen’s dialogue very neatly exposes the personalities, traits, and backstory of her characters in both overt and subliminal ways.

Another great example of this is from Chapter twenty of Emma. The following exchange between Emma and Jane Fairfax is one of my favorites:

“Was he handsome?” — “She believed he was reckoned a very fine young man.” “Was he agreeable?” — “He was generally thought so.” “Did he appear a sensible young man; a young man of information?” — “At a watering-place, or in a common London acquaintance, it was difficult to decide on such points. Manners were all that could be safely judged of, under a much longer knowledge than they had yet had of Mr. Churchill. She believed every body found his manners pleasing.”

On the surface we see Emma’s curiosity being blocked at every turn by Jane Fairfax’s non-answers. Up to this point in the book, Jane’s reserve seems to be just that, but this bit of evasive dialogue hints that something more is going on, that perhaps Jane is harboring a secret or two. Even Emma is suspicious. It is also so illustrative of the personalities and dynamic between Emma and Jane that it is repeatedly included in the screenplays of Emma adaptations. https://youtu.be/x67oM3JRhAca

In Persuasion, the eldest daughter, Elizabeth, exposes herself as exceedingly judgemental, self-centered, selfish, and convinced that her perspective is infallible. A perceptive reader may even pick up the disastrous blind spot Austen reveals in Elizabeth Elliot’s character.

“Mrs. Clay,” said she warmly, “never forgets who she is; and as I am rather better acquainted with her sentiments than you can be, I can assure you, that upon the subject of marriage they are particularly nice; and that she reprobates all inequality of condition and rank more strongly than most people. And as to my father, I really should not have thought that he, who has kept himself single so long for our sakes, need be suspected now. If Mrs. Clay were a very beautiful woman, I grant you, it might be wrong to have her so much with me; not that any thing in the world, I am sure, would induce my father to make a degrading match; but he might be rendered unhappy. But poor Mrs. Clay, who, with all her merits, can never have been reckoned tolerably pretty! I really think poor Mrs. Clay may be staying here in perfect safety. One would imagine you had never heard my father speak of her personal misfortunes, though I know you must fifty times. That tooth of her’s! and those freckles! Freckles do not disgust me so very much as they do him: I have known a face not materially disfigured by a few, but he abominates them. You must have heard him notice Mrs. Clay’s freckles.”

“There is hardly any personal defect,” replied Anne, “which an agreeable manner might not gradually reconcile one to.”

“I think very differently,” answered Elizabeth, shortly; “an agreeable manner may set off handsome features, but can never alter plain ones. However, at any rate, as I have a great deal more at stake on this point than any body else can have, I think it rather unnecessary in you to be advising me.”

The true genius of Austen’s dialogue can be seen in those rare instances of a back-and-forth conversation between characters. This passage from chapter eight of Sense and Sensibility, where Marianne Dashwood objects to Colonel Brandon’s marriageability on account of his age provides substantial insight into the turn of her mind. The contrast of Elinor’s practical rebuttals to Marianne’s youthful (and rather extreme) notions is pure gold.

   “Mama, you are not doing me justice. I know very well that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature. He may live twenty years longer. But thirty-five has nothing to do with matrimony.”

“Perhaps,” said Elinor, “thirty-five and seventeen had better not have anything to do with matrimony together. But if there should by any chance happen to be a woman who is single at seven-and-twenty, I should not think Colonel Brandon’s being thirty-five any objection to his marrying her .”

“A woman of seven-and-twenty,” said Marianne, after pausing a moment, “can never hope to feel or inspire affection again; and if her home be uncomfortable, or her fortune small, I can suppose that she might bring herself to submit to the offices of a nurse, for the sake of the provision and security of a wife. In his marrying such a woman, therefore, there would be nothing unsuitable. It would be a compact of convenience, and the world would be satisfied. In my eyes it would be no marriage at all, but that would be nothing. To me it would seem only a commercial exchange, in which each wished to be benefited at the expense of the other.”

“It would be impossible, I know,” replied Elinor, “to convince you that a woman of seven-and-twenty could feel for a man of thirty-five anything near enough to love to make him a desirable companion to her. But I must object to your dooming Colonel Brandon and his wife to the constant confinement of a sick chamber, merely because he chanced to complain yesterday (a very cold damp day) of a slight rheumatic feel in one of his shoulders.”

“But he talked of flannel waistcoats,” said Marianne; “and with me a flannel waistcoat is invariably connected with the aches, cramps, rheumatisms, and every species of ailment that can afflict the old and the feeble.”

There are certainly many examples of how beautifully Austen taught us about her characters in dialogue, these are just a few. What examples of Jane’s dialogue come to your mind as revelatory of her characters? Your input is welcome!

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Jodrell Bank Observatory, England’s First “Proper” Space Observatory

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Regina Jeffers
Lovell Telescope, Jodrell Bank Observatory
Mike Peel; Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodrell_Bank_Observatory#/media/File:Lovell_Telescope.jpg

With all the recent news stories on UFOs and aliens, I thought it might be interesting to explore one of the early observatories. — that of Jodrell Bank.

The observatory was originally called the Jodrell Bank Experimental Station. It is situated west of Manchester and was England’s first “proper” space observatory. Begun shortly after World War II, in 1947, by Dr. Bernard Lovell of Manchester University, Jodrell Bank was designed to study cosmic rays. Coming in at 218 feet (66 m), Jodrell Bank was the largest radio telescope in the world, at that time.

Bernard, who was a radio astronomer, thought the study of cosmic rays was a natural jump after he had spent time during WWII working on radar project.

The Lovell Telescope is the main one for the observatory. Coming in at 250 feet (76 m), it is the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. Research involving quasars, pulsars, gravitational rays, meteoroids, etc., aided the probes throughout the Space Age. Jodrell Bank serves as the base for MERLIN, the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network.

Before working with radar during World War II, Lovell was employed in the Physics Department at Manchester University. He was using a Wilson Cloud Chamber to study cosmic rays.

Sir Bernard Lovell ~ Jodrell Bank, University of Manchester ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Lovell#/media/File:BernardLovell.jpg

“Whilst working on the development of radar systems during the war he became aware of sporadic echoes that were being detected by our early warning radar systems. He wondered if these might be caused by the passage of a cosmic ray particle through the atmosphere and so, when the war ended, he acquired some army radar equipment which he set up in the quadrangle outside the Schuster Laboratory in Manchester. Interference from the trams along Oxford Road made him seek a site well away from the centre of Manchester. He found that the Botany Department had some land in Cheshire at a place called Jodrell Bank – a bank being a small river valley cutting across the Cheshire Plain, this one being named after the Jaudrell family.” [The History of Jodrell Bank]

There was some disappointment with the first observations made, for, instead of cosmic ray particles entering the atmosphere, Lovell and his students heard echoes from the plasma trail of a meteor as it burned up in the atmosphere. Imagine hearing a “shooting star”? That is something that would interest me. This early experiment demonstrated that many meteors are part of the “dust tail” of a comet.

https://web.archive.org/web/20081027221016/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/early.html ~ 218 foot Transit Telescope

In 1947, Lovell’s team built a 218 foot parabolic reflecting aerial (a radio telescope) in the adjoining field to the Jodrell Bank Experimental Station. “The wire mesh that reflected the radio signals to a focal pint 150ft above the ground was suspended from a ring of scaffold poles. You can just make out the telescope to the left of the large building in the centre right that housed the diesel generators which provided power for the site. By tilting the position of the mast the beam could be swung to allow different parts of the sky to be scanned as the earth’s rotation brought it overhead.

“The telescope made many important discoveries, particular among them being the detection of radio noise from the Great Nebula in Andromeda – the first time that a known extragalactic radio source had been detected – and the detection of the remains of the supernova of 1572, usually known as Tycho’s supernova, which does not have any obvious visual remnant.” [The History of Jodrell Bank] Nearly 64 years ago, the rocket that sent Sputnik into space was the first intercontinental ballistic missile ever launched. The (barely finished) Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire was the only instrument with the scale and power to potentially track it. [Check out the video on BBC News that explains what happened and how the British played a key part in the Cold War.]

Other Sources:

Bernard Lovell

Jodrell Bank – Anatomy of a Radio Telescope

Jodrell Bank to play key part in creating world’s largest radio telescope

The Team that Tracked Sputnik

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, exploration, history, inventions, real life tales, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jodrell Bank Observatory, England’s First “Proper” Space Observatory

The Yorkshire Giant

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

William Bradley (1787 – 1820) was commonly known as “The Yorkshire Giant” He was born on 10 February 1787 in Market Weighton in Yorkshire’s East Riding. He was the fourth of thirteen children. Weighing in at 14 pounds (6.35 kg) at birth, Bradley grew to his full height of 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 m) by the time he was 20 years of age. At the age of 11 he weighed eleven stones (154 pounds). He is considered the tallest ever recorded Englishman.

Bradley’s father, who was only 5 ft. 9 in. (1.75 m) tall, was a master tailor in the town. As he grew older, William worked on a local farm near Pocklington. Ironically, tools designed especially for his grip and his height, had to made.

To earn a bit of money on the side, Bradley would make wagers with others on whether he could complete certain tasks set up as an “I dare you” style event. Once, he was challenged to carry a huge stone a quarter mile into the centre of Market Weighton. That particular stone can still be found on the corner of Londesborough Road, opposite the church.

Initially, Bradley traveled about the country charging people a shilling to come to his hotel room and shake his hand. Later, William Bradley made appearances at fairs all over England. Included along with his appearances were an extremely large pig, bred in nearby Sancton and a local dwarf by the name of Edward Clavet, who was from Shiptonthorpe. However, he left this arrangement because of a steady lack of pay and the cramped conditions in which was to stay. A man of William Bradley’s size could not remain in small spaces long without it causing him pain.

Bradley’s notoriety presented another claim to fame. He was summoned to meet King George III, who presented William with a large gold watch on a chain, which Bradley wore with pride for the remainder of his days.

The I’m From Yorkshire website tells us, “The problem with this new lifestyle was that he lacked exercise and his insatiable appetite meant his weight further increased. Moreover throughout much of his adult life Bradley had to walk with the aid of a stick, which itself was 5ft 10in in height. He moved back to his specially designed house on York Road, Market Weighton, which still stands today. The property was converted with high ceilings and doorways to accommodate his extra height. Its structure is higher than the other buildings around it meaning that it is definitely recognisable as being the home of a Giant!”

Bradley was just 33 years old when he died on 30 May 1820, reportedly from tuberculosis. He was buried inside All Saints Church in Market Weighton, for it was assumed grave robbers would attempt to make money off Bradley’s demise. The coffin was 9 feet long and 3 feet wide. His former home on Market Hill is now a shop.

Beginning in May 1996 and continued since, Market Weighton has celebrated “Giant Bradley Day.” It is a fair of sorts with rides, steam organs, stalls, music, and such. “Through its early years it was opened by the current tallest man in Britain, Chris Greener, who is 7ft 6in tall.”

Other Sources:

William Bradley

Yorkshire Post

The Yorkshire Society




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The Mysterious Mrs. Long, a Textual Study – a Guest Post from Lelia Eye

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

This post originally appeared on the Austen Authors’ blog on 7 May 2021. Enjoy!

I suppose this cannot be called a character study so much as a textual study. I’m here to assist in taking a look at the text of Pride and Prejudice as it pertains to Mrs. Long.

Her name occurs 14 times in the novel, and though we do not truly see her as a character since she is instead simply referred to rather than shown, she works well as a device for gossip . . . and for showing off the amusing contradictions of Mrs. Bennet.

We get our start with gossip concerning Netherfield at the beginning of the book when Mrs. Bennet reports on the bits of news Mrs. Long has given her:

  • “But it is,” returned she; “for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.”
  • “Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.”

Mrs. Long also apparently had something to say about Mr. Darcy to Mrs. Bennet:

  • “I beg you would not put it into Lizzy’s head to be vexed by his ill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last night that he sat close to her for half-an-hour without once opening his lips.”
    “Are you quite sure, ma’am?—is not there a little mistake?” said Jane. “I certainly saw Mr. Darcy speaking to her.”
    “Aye—because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he could not help answering her; but she said he seemed quite angry at being spoke to.”
    “Miss Bingley told me,” said Jane, “that he never speaks much, unless among his intimate acquaintances. With them he is remarkably agreeable.”
    “I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If he had been so very agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long. But I can guess how it was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare say he had heard somehow that Mrs. Long does not keep a carriage, and had come to the ball in a hack chaise.”
    “I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long,” said Miss Lucas, “but I wish he had danced with Eliza.”

And of course, closer to the end of the book, Mrs. Bennet cannot wait to share her own news with Mrs. Long:

  • “I will go to Meryton,” said she, “as soon as I am dressed, and tell the good, good news to my sister Philips. And as I come back, I can call on Lady Lucas and Mrs. Long. Kitty, run down and order the carriage. An airing would do me a great deal of good, I am sure. Girls, can I do anything for you in Meryton? Oh! Here comes Hill! My dear Hill, have you heard the good news? Miss Lydia is going to be married; and you shall all have a bowl of punch to make merry at her wedding.”

Mrs. Long seems to be a fixture in the neighborhood with regard to dining according to Mrs. Bennet’s thinking:

  • “Well, all I know is, that it will be abominably rude if you do not wait on him. But, however, that shan’t prevent my asking him to dine here, I am determined. We must have Mrs. Long and the Gouldings soon. That will make thirteen with ourselves, so there will be just room at table for him.”

And finally – for we do not see much of Mrs. Long – Mrs. Bennet’s opinion of Mrs. Long seems to vary based on her perception of the possibility of Mrs. Long’s nieces (or daughters – I believe Austen made an error here) in making a match with a gentleman whom Mrs. Bennet has her eye on:

  • “But you forget, mamma,” said Elizabeth, “that we shall meet him at the assemblies, and that Mrs. Long promised to introduce him.”
    “I do not believe Mrs. Long will do any such thing. She has two nieces of her own. She is a selfish, hypocritical woman, and I have no opinion of her.”
    “No more have I,” said Mr. Bennet; “and I am glad to find that you do not depend on her serving you.”
  • “When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?”
    “To-morrow fortnight.”
    “Aye, so it is,” cried her mother, “and Mrs. Long does not come back till the day before; so it will be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not know him herself.”
    “Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr. Bingley to her.”
    “Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted with him myself; how can you be so teasing?”
    “I honour your circumspection. A fortnight’s acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.”
  • “Well girls,” said she, as soon as they were left to themselves, “What say you to the day? I think everything has passed off uncommonly well, I assure you. The dinner was as well dressed as any I ever saw. The venison was roasted to a turn—and everybody said they never saw so fat a haunch. The soup was fifty times better than what we had at the Lucases’ last week; and even Mr. Darcy acknowledged, that the partridges were remarkably well done; and I suppose he has two or three French cooks at least. And, my dear Jane, I never saw you look in greater beauty. Mrs. Long said so too, for I asked her whether you did not. And what do you think she said besides? ‘Ah! Mrs. Bennet, we shall have her at Netherfield at last.’ She did indeed. I do think Mrs. Long is as good a creature as ever lived—and her nieces are very pretty behaved girls, and not at all handsome: I like them prodigiously.”

And there you have all the text with regard to Mrs. Long!

I am curious – do you believe Austen made an error when she had Mr. Bennet reference Mrs. Long’s daughters, or do you have a headcanon of sorts where you think it works out? (I will do that myself on occasion with things!) Do you think that the Gouldings might be her brother’s family based on how Mrs. Bennet groups them together, or is there no good way to speculate?

Furthermore, has anyone read any stories where Mrs. Long plays an actual role? I suspect most writers of Pride and Prejudice variations never even mention her. I’m not sure whether I have!

We receive a rather incomplete picture of her character from Mrs. Bennet, who, as we all know, focuses heavily on marrying her daughters off and disparaging those who get in her way. I rather picture her as being quite like Mrs. Bennet, which may be why Austen doesn’t truly show her to us. Based on how quickly Mrs. Long has come upon some news, it seems unlikely that she is the meek type.

I would love to hear any of your thoughts in the comments below.

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Appleby-in-Westmorland, a Market Town and Home of the Biggest Horse Fair in the World

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Regina Jeffers
The cloisters by Sir Robert Smirke.~ Visit Cumbria

Appleby-in-Westmorland, the smallest county town in England with a population of 2600, lies to the east of what is referred to as “the Lake District.” Its history goes back to the 9th Century when the Vikings settled in the area. The first Viking dwelling appears to have been built near what is now Bongate. They called the new settlement Appleby, from the Norse words for “place of the apples.” Appleby was once the capital of the county of Westmorland, but that changed in 1974 when Westmorland no longer existed under the government reorganisation. In that year, Westmorland merged with Cumberland to become the modern “Cumbria.” The name “Westmorland” was added to Appleby to preserve its former position in the county.

The Normans realized the strategic position of the ford across the River Ede at Appleby. Therefore, Appleby Castle was constructed. “The first castle was a simple motte and bailey, probably defended by a simple timber palisade. In the 12th century a stone keep was built atop the motte. The keep was enlarged after it was captured by William the Lion of Scotland in 1174. The defences were dismantled by Parliament in 1648, but restored by Lady Anne Clifford from 1651. The castle consists of a 12th century keep known as Caesar’s Tower, linked to a much later mansion house, home of the powerful Clifford family from the 13th century. The entire complex of buildings is surrounded by a high curtain wall and stands at the upper end of Boroughgate.” [Britain Express]

The area’s most prominent benefactor was Lady Anne Clifford, the daughter of the Earl of Cumberland, who staged her own private three decades-long battle to inherit her father’s estates. Appleby Castle served as her home, but she also assisted in restoring other properties in Cumbria and Yorkshire. After her death, Appleby Castle passed to the earls of Thanet and then on to Lord Hothfield.

Appleby has produced two of England’s Prime Ministers: William Pitt the Younger and Viscount Howick, who became Earl Grey.

St Lawrence church was built shortly after the castle. It was damaged by raiding Scots in 1388, but rebuilt by Lady Anne Clifford.

Appleby’s uncommonly wide main street, Boroughgate, has been described as one of the finest in England. It runs from the north end, by the cloisters which were designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1811, to the south end, by the Castle entrance. At the north end is the Moot Hall, with a plaque above the door dated 1596, and now used as the Tourist Information Centre. The beginning and end of Boroughgate is marked by the ‘Low Cross’ and the ‘High Cross’.

The High Cross ~ https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/cumbria/az/appleby-in-westmorland.htm

Appleby Grammar School dates back to two chantry bequests in 1286. It was incorporated by Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth in 1574. George Washington’s father and two half-brothers, born in Virginia, were educated at Appleby Grammar School. He would have followed, but in 1743, when he reached the age at which the two older boys had made the voyage, his father died suddenly. [Appleby-in-Westmorland]

Appleby and surrounding villages host long-established events such as Warcop rushbearing, which dates back to at least 1716.

The four-day Appleby Horse Fair is customarily held on the first weekend of June. It is considered the biggest traditional Gypsy Fair in Europe. The earliest known record of the fair appears in a 12th-century. Some ten thousand Gypsies and Travellers arrive in Appleby for the celebration. This year because of COVID and various lock downs, the fair will start tomorrow, 12 August. It was postponed from the traditional June dates due to the COVID restrictions, although a small group still gathered in the area, in fear that the fair would be cancelled permanently. The fair was cancelled in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and once previously in the early 2000s for a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Generally, 1000 caravans and 30,000 visitors arrive for the event. Attendees include British Romanichal, Irish Travellers, Scottish Gypsy and Traveller groups, Kale (Welsh Romanies), and more.

The event occurs outside the town where the Roman Road crosses Long Marton Road at Fair Hill, which was originally called Gallows Hill for the obvious reason. The fair was established by a royal charter from King James II in 1685. However, recent research has shown that the 1685 charter, which was cancelled before it was enrolled, is of no relevance. “Appleby’s medieval borough fair, held at Whitsuntide, ceased in 1885. The ‘New Fair,’ held in early June on Gallows Hill, what was then enclosed land outside the borough boundary, began in 1775 for sheep and cattle drovers and horse dealers to sell their stock; by the 1900s, it had evolved into a major Gypsy/Traveller occasion.” [Andrew Connell (2015). “Appleby Gypsy Horse Fair: Mythology, Origins, Evolution and Evaluation”. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society.]

The legal status of the Fair does not depend on a charter, therefore, but on the legal concept of ‘prescriptive right’, that is to say easement by prescription or custom. Praescriptio est titulus ex usu et tempore substantiam capiens ab auctoritate legis. ‘Prescription is a title by authority of law, deriving its force from use and time.’ [Andrew Connell]

The horses are washed and trotted up and down the flashing lane most main days. There is a market on Jimmy Winter’s Field selling a variety of goods – some traditional to the Gypsy travelling community – and a range other horse-related products.

The legal status of the Fair does not depend on a charter, therefore, but on the legal concept of ‘prescriptive right’, that is to say easement by prescription or custom. Praescriptio est titulus ex usu et tempore substantiam capiens ab auctoritate legis. ‘Prescription is a title by authority of law, deriving its force from use and time.’ [Andrew Connell]

Washing the horses at Appleby Horse Fair, Cumbria. ~ Public Domain

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Uffington Castle, Dragon Hill, and Wayland’s Smithy

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

To go along with my post on Friday on the preservation efforts of the White Horse, I thought I might mention other sites along the way in the Berkshire Downs.

First and foremost, one must address the road that traverses the area. Known as “the Ridgeway,” it is considered the oldest road in England. The Ridgeway covers some 87 miles (140 km beginning at the circle at Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chilterns. The Ridgeway was likely first traveled by foot some 4000 years ago. In recent years, “crop circles” have been discovered along the Ridgeway.

Uffington Castle – https://www.visitfaringdon.co.uk/uffington-castle-dragon-hill.html
Trig point on Whitehorse Hill The trig point on Whtiehorse Hill is located beside the earthworks of Uffington Castle, at 261m this is the highest point in Oxfordshire. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_Castle#/media/File:Trig_point_on_Whitehorse_Hill_-geograph.org.uk-_1370581.jpg ~ CC BY-SA 2.0

Uffington Castle is an Iron Act hillfort on the summit of Whitehorse Hill. It measures about 220 metres by 160 metres and has a white chalk-stone bank/inner rampart, which measures 12 metres wide and about 2.5 metres high. It covers 8 acres (3.2 ha) At one time, it had been lined with sandstone stones, known as “sarsen.” It is one of a chain of hill forts along the Ridgeway. “It is a univalate hillfort, ie of single ditch, single rampart design, with an interior area of approximately 8 acres. Originally there were two entrances, the western (remaining) one and an eastern one filled in during the Roman period. NE and SE entrances are probably Roman.

“Built approximately around 500 BC, it had ramparts topped with a wooden palisade, replaced by a sarsen stone wall around 300 BC. The ditch , originally 10 ft deeper than at present, has been partly filled with stones from the wall which was pushed down during the Roman period. The fort was only used temporarily or seasonally, and probably a meeting place, animal corral, ritual centre, or Ridgeway travellers’ stop. Artefacts discovered during archaeological digs in the 1990s suggest that usage increased during the Roman period. There is no water on the hill, although it is possible that clay lined ponds were constructed, but have all been ploughed out.

“The white 4ft obelisk on the eastern outer bank of the fort is a trig point, which marks the highest point in Oxfordshire, – 858 ft. It is one of 25,000 used before the advent of satellite surveying, to map the country. This trig point is one of a small number still in use by the Ordnance Survey, and is a known trig point from which GPS can be tracked. The distance between this trig point and the one at Liddington Castle formed the standard distance from which imperial Ordnance Survey maps were scaled.” [Places to Visit in Faringdon

Large Iron Age hillforts are rare. Most are located on the high chalklands of the southern counties of England, and Uffington Castle is regarded as an outstanding example.

Dragon Hill – Third Eye Traveller ~ https://thirdeyetraveller.com/legends-dragon-hill-england-st-george-dragon/

The mysterious Dragon Hill sits above The Manger and directly below Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire (transferred from Berkshire in 1974). It is a small flat-topped hill sporting a bare patch, where no grass will grow. It is a natural chalk hill that was flattened by man instead of being so naturally. What makes this hill so special, you may ask? According to the local legend, Dragon Hill is so named for this was the spot where St George killed the fire-breathing dragon plaguing the land. Where the dragon’s blood fell is the spot where no grass will grow. Is that not a wonderful tale???

Dragon Hill was also mentioned in the Arthurian Tales and is even thought to have been the inspiration for Weathertop in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. 

Some people go so far as to say the White Horse (See Friday’s post) is not a horse, at all. Rather it represents the dragon killed by St George.

One of Britains best examples of a neolithic long barrow, located on the Ridgeway, close to the Uffington white horse in Oxfordshire. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland%27s_Smithy#/media/File:Wayland_Smithy_Long_barrow.jpg ~ CC BY-SA 3.0

Wayland’s Smithy is west of Uffington Castle. It is a neolithic burial chamber surrounded by beech trees. It is a chambered long barrow and can be found near the village of Ashbury in Oxfordshire. It was likely built in the 36th Century B.C. It has been partially reconstructed over the years.

Believed to have been built by one or more pastoralist communities in early Britain, Wayland Smithy is unique in that it differs from the long barrow building common in Neolithic Europe. It has a more localized version of the barrows, generally found in southwest Britain, now known as the Severn-Cotswold Group. It is a prime example of this structures.

It is some 185 feet (56 m) in length and 43 feet (13 m) wide. Restoration efforts have assisted in establishing how it must have looked. An oval barrow timber-chamber is estimated to have been built around 3590 to 3550 B.C. Later, a stone-chambered long barrow was added, likely between 3460 and 3400 B.C. [“Archaeological history and research”. English Heritage.]

The Middle Ages saw the site being associated with the Saxon god of smiths, Wayland. Wayland is said to be able to forge armor with the magical abilities of give the wearer wings like an eagle. He was also known to create invincible swords. In fact, it was Wayland the Smith who supposed forged Excalibur for King Arthur.

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The Uffington White Horse

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

Near the village of Uffington in Oxfordshire, England, one can find a most miraculous symbol, the oldest of the English hill figures. Some 3000 years old, the Uffington White Horse is a stick figure-style horse nearly the size of a football field and visible from 20 miles away.

The White Horse at Uffington, Oxfordshire (AP Photo) ~ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/3000-year-old-uffington-horse-looms-over-english-countryside-180963968/

It is roughly 365 feet (111 m) long and 120 feet (37 m) high. It was created in the late Bronze Age, when horses were revered. “Chalking Day” is conducted by the National Trust. The event is also referred to as “Scouring of the White Horse.” It is a cleaning ritual that has been written about since 1736 when Francis Wise described it, but it has occurred since around 1200 B.C.

The practice has been called the “world’s largest coloring between the lines.” The vegetation around the “horse” is weeded and edged to keep the shape’s distinct lines. Then, chalk is smashed into a paste and painstakingly added by hand to keep the shape true to the original. Inch by inch, the stony pathways in the grass are whitened.

In the past, thousands of people would have come for the scouring, holding a fair in the circle of a prehistoric fort nearby. It occurred every seven years and was a time of great celebration and merrymaking. Feasts occurred, and the hill itself hosted games of all kinds, as did the Manger, a deep valley scooped out of the hillside beneath the horse. The fair is no longer part of the ritual, but it is no less a grand experience. Without the scouring, the area would have long ago become overgrown, and a bit of history would have been lost.

These days it’s a quieter event.

“National Trust ranger Andy Foley hands out hammers. ‘It must have happened in this way since it was put on the hillside,” he says. “If people didn’t look after it the horse would be gone within 20 to 30 years; overgrown and eroded. We’re following in the footsteps of the ancients, doing exactly what they did 3,000 years ago.’ The trenches would have been dug out using antler picks and wooden spades: tough, labor-intensive work. How the builders planned and executed such a large figure when the full effect can only be taken in from several miles away is still a mystery.”  (Smithsonian Magazine)

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Esperanto, the Language of Peace

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

What do you know about the universal language Esperanto? Some of you may have come across it in a low-budget horror movie staring a 33-year-old actor by the name of William Shatner, who later became Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek fame. The film, Incubus was filmed in Esperanto, not to support the idea of a language of peace, as the language was originally designed, but to provide the film an eerie overtone. The idea bombed.

Developed by one Lazarus Ludwig (Ludwik) Zamenhof, Esperanto was to become a common language, one which permit nations at war to trust each other. Zamenhof was an ophthalmologist by trade, but, more importantly, he was a linguist. His father and his grandfather had been foreign language teachers.

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/birth-ludwig-zamenhof-creator-esperanto

His family lived in Warsaw. He loved languages and spoke many of them. He even wrote a five-act tragedy based on the tale of the Tower of Babel. It was called The Tower of Babel, or the Białystok Tragedy in Five Acts. Zamenhof envisioned a world without either linguistic barriers and the hatred of one religion for another. He wished to present the world with an international language that would be easy to learn and accessible to all.

The first version of Esperanto arrived in 1873. However, the original copybook containing the first version of the language was burned by Ludwik’s father. According to the family legend, he wanted his son to pay more attention to his studies.

Ludwik Zamenhof at the Esperanto congress in Antwerp, 1911, source: Forum ~ https://culture.pl/en/article/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-esperanto-its-creator

In 1879, Zamenhof went to Moscow to study medicine. He became a Zionist as he faced more and more antisemitism during his Russian stay. His thoughts on Zionism had a change when he returned to Warsaw to establish his residency as an ophthomologist.

He published the book Lingvo internacia under the pseudonym Dr. Esperanto (Dr. One Who Hopes) on July 14, 1887. His “hope” was that the language would lead to international peace. Unfortunately, his “hope” was an expensive endeavor, and Zamenhof suffered many financial setbacks. “The book contained the 16 cardinal grammatical rules of Esperanto as well as 917 word roots taken mostly from existing European languages: Romance, Germanic and Slavic languages. Leo Tolstoy reportedly learned Esperanto in 3-4 hours. The language spread massively in the early 20th century and the first International Esperanto Congress was organized in 1905. Following WWI, Esperanto was often conceived as a quasi-revolutionary instrument of the emancipation of the proletariat, endorsed by Socialists and called by them ‘Latin of the workers’.” (9 Things You Need to Know About Esperanto and Its Creator) The idea was to create the easiest possible language which could be learned in a shortest possible time-span.

The First Esperanto Textbook ~ https://zamenhof.info/en/biografio

Eventually, he moved toward Grodno, where he revisited the idea of Zionism. He also began working on the foundations of a new religion, called Hillelism. Rabbi Hillel was known for his gentleness and tolerance, and Zamenhof used him as the basis for the religion. He wished to connect people religiously as well as having a common language. “He later modified Hellelism, renaming it Homaranism (the meaning of which in Esperanto referred to humanity more generally), so that it might serve as the basis for a new, universal, linguistically neutral human culture. However the new religious found few adherents. In 1888, Zamenhof published two new books, Dua libro de lingvo internacia (The Second Book of the International Language) and Aldono al la Dua libro (Supplement to the Second Book). The following year he produced Russian–Esperanto and German–Esperanto dictionaries.

“Returning to Warsaw in 1898, he opened a private medical practice. From 1889, he edited the monthly La Esperantisto, which was published in Nuremberg; he also founded the Universala Esperanto-Asocio (World Society of Esperantists). In the programmatic declaration of its first congress, held in 1905 in the French city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Zamenhof abjured all the benefits of authorship of the new language, turning it over to the entire world. He translated many works into Esperanto, including the Torah, which he finished shortly before his death.” (Zamenhof, Ludwik)

World War I and his declining health saw an end to his hopes of bringing people together under one language and one religion. His daughter Lidia took up his cause and widely lectured on the merits of Esperanto throughout Europe and the United States, but she was arrested by the Germans and confined to the Warsaw ghetto during Hitler’s reign over Europe. Adolf Hitler considered Esperanto an instrument of an international Jewish conspiracy. Eventually, along with her sister Zofia, she was transported to Treblinka, where she was murdered by the Nazis. Their brother Adam was murdered in the mass executions in Palmiry forest in 1940.

Other Sources:

9 Things You Need to Know About Esperanto and Its Creator

Birth of Ludwig Zamenhof, Creator of Esperanto

A Short Biography of Zamenhof

The Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe

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